214: Chapter 214 Martial Saint Dragon Arrives at the Door

The setting sun vanished completely, and the sky darkened rapidly. The last glimmer of light on the horizon was swallowed by the night; the sky shifted from light gray to dark gray, then settled into a serene ink-blue, and the entire world fell silent.

Night had fallen.

Unlike the county seat, there was no curfew in the town. However, under the shroud of night, the pedestrians on the road gradually dispersed, leaving only a few scattered figures.

Inside the underground dungeon of the Wu Family estate.

A man, whose flesh was torn open and dripping with blood, making him barely recognizable as human, let out a continuous, shrill scream. It took less than a quarter of an hour for his cries to go from high-pitched to hoarse.

In this silent dungeon, it sounded exceptionally jarring.

"Stop hitting me."

"Stop hitting me... I'll confess..."

"If you had confessed earlier, it would have been over. Why suffer this pain? Take some advice from your brother here: a wise man submits to circumstances. In this Liuhe Town, there is no good outcome for opposing the Wu Family," a short man holding a whip said.

"Alright, I ask, you answer."

"Name, place of origin, age."

"Yin He, Jinhuai Prefecture, thirty-two..."

"I'll repeat myself, age."

"Thirty-two."

Just like that, the dull question-and-answer session began in the dungeon.

Meanwhile, in a secret room not far above the dungeon, Patriarch Wu Shenglong waited anxiously.

In the Wu Family, matters like interrogations were handled by specialists, regardless of their cultivation strength. Even if he were to interrogate personally, it wouldn't be any better; it might even slow down the progress.

But the long wait made him restless and uneasy.

Just then, a hurried figure pushed the door open and entered.

The person who arrived was the Wu Family's interrogator, Wu Da.

"Family Head, the prisoner has confessed. His name is Yin He, a native of Jinhuai Prefecture," Wu Da hurriedly said.

"Yin He, a native of Jinhuai Prefecture!"

"Good, very good!" Patriarch Wu Shenglong disregarded his usual dignity and immediately burst into laughter, his inner unease swept away.

"Take me to the dungeon; I want to see Yin He personally. If Yin He's identity is confirmed to be correct, I will record a first-class merit for you in the Family."

"Thank you, Family Head, for the reward." Wu Da's voice trembled with excitement.

The value of a first-class Family merit far exceeded even a promotion in rank. It could not be obtained by anyone other than a major contributor to the Family. With a first-class Family merit, as long as he did not betray the Family, he could be spared even if he committed a major mistake.

It was even possible that his voice within the Family would rise several levels in the future.

Inside the inn.

"As expected, I shouldn't have held any expectations." Pei Tianquan sighed, his words full of disappointment.

After meeting with several people who had sent visiting cards, apart from witnessing their flattery, Pei Tianquan had not obtained the information he wanted.

Another day was about to pass, and the deadline given by the prefecture government was drawing closer.

This made the sense of urgency in his heart grow stronger.

If he didn't find Yin He within these two days, the Pei Clan would likely have to swallow this bitter pill.

Thinking that he had caused the Family to suffer such a great loss, Pei Tianquan felt nothing but shame.

"Where exactly is this Yin He hiding?" Pei Tianquan muttered to himself.

Just then, a hurried voice broke the silence in the room.

"Elder Tianquan, your subordinate has an urgent matter to report."

"Yuanye, come in quickly!" Upon hearing this, Pei Tianquan's already unsettled thoughts stirred once more.

As the words fell, a middle-aged man pushed open the door and strode in.

Before the middle-aged man could speak, Pei Tianquan asked first, "What is it?"

"Patriarch Wu Shenglong of the Wu Family has come to pay a visit, saying he has discovered the whereabouts of Yin He and wishes to meet with you to discuss it in detail," the middle-aged man said respectfully.

"There is news of Yin He's whereabouts." Pei Tianquan had already anticipated this answer.

At this time, whoever dared to disturb him was likely related to this matter.

But regardless, the heavy stone in his heart had already been lifted halfway.

With a lead, as long as Yin He was not dead and was still in Liuhe Town, he was confident he could find him tomorrow.

Suppressing the agitation in his heart, Pei Tianquan instructed the middle-aged man, "Let him in."

Before long, a tall and upright man walked in.

Upon seeing the visitor, Pei Tianquan looked him up and down.

The Wu Family Head, Patriarch Wu Shenglong.

He was not unfamiliar with this name, but he had never met the person.

Of course, the reason he knew this name was not because of how famous the other party was.

It could be said that a head of an unranked Family like Patriarch Wu Shenglong could not catch his eye at all.

But ever since he learned that Yin He might be hiding in Liuhe Town, he had investigated the strongest forces in Liuhe Town.

Inevitably, this person in power of the Wu Family also became an object of his investigation.

Now that he saw the person himself, he recalled the intelligence he had gathered, and the description of his appearance was not much different.

But more in terms of conduct and details, he would need further contact.

"Family Head Wu, please sit," Pei Tianquan gestured.

Patriarch Wu Shenglong did not act coy or decline and sat down immediately.

"It is presumptuous of me, Junior, to disturb you, Senior, so late," Patriarch Wu Shenglong said respectfully.

In fact, while Pei Tianquan was sizing up Patriarch Wu Shenglong, Patriarch Wu Shenglong was also sizing up Pei Tianquan.

When he was outside the inn, there was some distance between him and Pei Tianquan, and he could only see his appearance from afar.

Now that he was in close contact, Patriarch Wu Shenglong finally noticed the aura on Pei Tianquan that was unique to the Five Viscera Realm.

This discovery shocked him.

Don't look at the fact that he was at Divine Power Perfection, only one step away from the Five Viscera Realm; that one-step difference was like a chasm.

Without the support of a Great Family, even if his Wu Family had some wealth, they were not qualified to purchase the divine power transformation potion needed to break through to the Five Viscera Realm through official channels.

This was one of the reasons why unranked families found it difficult to squeeze into the ranks of Great Families.

Without a Five-Viscera Martial Artist, even if one met the other conditions for promotion to a Great Family, it was impossible to secure a position as a Great Family.

But that was not what shocked him.

Outsiders did not know exactly how many Five-Viscera Martial Artists the Wuyang Pei Clan had.

Outsiders could only infer that the Wuyang Pei Clan might have three Five-Viscera Martial Artists.

But these three certainly did not include the Pei Tianquan before him.

As far as he knew, Pei Tianquan's ranking among the Elders was not high, and his strength among the Elders was quite average.

Yet, such an Elder had actually reached the Five Viscera Realm.

One could imagine the strength of those Elders who were stronger and ranked higher in the past.

As for saying that Pei Tianquan was the lucky one who happened to break through a step ahead of the other Elders, he absolutely did not believe it.

In this world, there was no such thing as so much luck.

The rumor that the Wuyang Pei Clan only had three Five-Viscera Martial Artists could not be taken seriously.

The strength of the Wuyang Pei Clan was likely far more powerful than he had imagined.

This made him feel a little shaken inside.

At the same time, he felt lucky that he had been able to find Yin He.

The stronger the Pei Clan was, the greater the future benefits would be if his Wu Family could attach themselves to it.